With a final push, Brady Wickersham goes over the bar for the San Marcos Baptist Academy Bears at the TAPPS 3-4A district track meet.

STAFF REPORT

San Marcos Baptist Academy (SMBA) won the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) 3-4A South Regional track meet last week with a total of only five athletes on the team.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this,” Coach Kelia Price said. “We were surprised and happy, but at the same time, we worked so hard today, knowing it would take all we had just to place in this meet. The other coaches couldn’t believe we won with just five on our team when every other school had 12 or more athletes in competition.”

SMBA took first in four events at the meet, held at the Awty International School in Houston. The team of Brady Wickersham, Michael Latham, Josh McIntyre and John Nealon took first in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:30.

Latham also took first in the 200-meter run. McIntyre finished 30 meters ahead of his closest competitor in the 300-meter hurdles.

Wickersham, who has taken third in the high jump for the past two years at state, had a 6-foot-4-inch leap, his highest this year, winning first place.

Wickhersham, Latham, McIntyre and Mark Hamm placed second in the 4×100-meter relay. John Nealon took third in the 400-meter run. Hamm also placed fifth in the triple jump.

The Bears will travel to Waco for the state Class 4-A track meet this weekend at the Hart-Patterson Complex at Baylor University.

San Marcos Baptist Academy Bear Michael Latham pulls to the front in the 200-meter run at the TAPPS 3-4A district track meet.